I've got to ask . . .

[Wilf]

What were the ratings for qualifying shows?

[NickFalzone]

If the ratings were GOOD we would have heard about them. That leaves OK to bad. I'd guess somewhere in between. And as I've previously stated, I don't think Versus should be held accountable so early in their IRL deal. A season or two down the road and "unmentionable" ratings, and I think there's a problem.

Also, I'd mention that the actual QUALITY of the broadcast was good-to-excellent. When is the last time there was 13 live hours of IndyCar in a weekend? And it was a solid 13 hoursl. I guess if I have a concern, it's that the ratings will eventually tick up but in the mean time the quality of the broadcast will go down. Hopefully VS is in it for the long haul. There's always an out clause.

[chuck34]

If the ratings were GOOD we would have heard about them. That leaves OK to bad. I'd guess somewhere in between. And as I've previously stated, I don't think Versus should be held accountable so early in their IRL deal. A season or two down the road and "unmentionable" ratings, and I think there's a problem.

Also, I'd mention that the actual QUALITY of the broadcast was good-to-excellent. When is the last time there was 13 live hours of IndyCar in a weekend? And it was a solid 13 hoursl. I guess if I have a concern, it's that the ratings will eventually tick up but in the mean time the quality of the broadcast will go down. Hopefully VS is in it for the long haul. There's always an out clause.

I think that perhaps the oposite is true. If the ratings were BAD we would have heard about them. There seems to be plenty of people here that like nothing better than to sound the "Death Bell" of the IRL because of poor ratings.

But I think the bigger point is, what would you compare these ratings to? I'm going to keep saying that year-on-year comparisons are meaningless this year. There may be a small argument to be made comparing late season ratings to early season ratings this year, but that's about it, and even then who knows how valid that will be. *shrugs*

But I agree with your second point. The coverage on VS is pretty darn good. Althought I felt so crushed for Robbie on Sunday. I'm not sure if it is a good idea to have someone with a vested interest in the booth. *shrugs again*. Here to hoping this weekend is as good as last.

[garyshell]

There seems to be plenty of people here that like nothing better than to sound the "Death Bell" of the IRL because of poor ratings.


I think thats a bit of hyperbole. Yes, there are SOME folks wringing their hands about the numbers and of those a SMALL number ringing that bell. But I think just about all of them agree the coverage is the best we have seen in a VERY long time. And I think the vast majority of folks, whether they admit it or not, know that with Versus these numbers can't be compared to past years and that this is going to be a building process.

Gary

[DBell]

I haven't looked for the ratings this week, but if you want to know go to http://thescore.ibj.com . They usually report Indycar ratings there.

[Wilf]

I've got a feeling they are dancing in the aisles of the TV compound. According to the Indianapolis Business Journal the Pole Day broadcast did fairly well.

Pole Day qualifications drew a .35 Nielsen TV rating Saturday (May 9) on Versus. That means about 385,000 TV households nationwide tuned in to the cable channel broadcast.

[NickFalzone]

For a 6 hour broadcast, that's actually not bad.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Here are the actual numbers..... I think they are pretty good for a qualifications show. The comparable numbers that would be a good indicator of success would be the numbers for quals on ABC network TV last year. ABC used to devote a fair amount of time to quals.

http://thescore.ibj.com/blogshell.asp?p=968

[Chamoo]

I'm quite happy with those numbers. Not bad news at all. I think the IRL will be happy with them as well, and sponsors too.

[Gluaistean]

The numbers will increase.With the Stanley cup ongoing and the crew doing great interviews it will draw/keep viewers.

The end of the day yesterday was really exciting. In fact, I think having Buhl there was great. BTW, who was sponsoring Bruno?

For one of the best drivers out there he just can't catch a break. What a shame. I used to dislike him. Now, I have gone the total reverese. Being sent into the wall was the his undoing.